Those of you who use or have Union bindings, do you find it annoying or a little difficult unbuckling the toe strap?

I was finding that I couldn't really get a good hold of the buckle, couldn't comfortable get a finger under to pull up on it. It doesn't have much of a latch. These were the 2013 models..I think they have same kind on the older models as well.

sticky ratchet complaints are common. i find it easy if you kind of slap it open quick and hard, instead of grabbing it, lifting up, and trying to release it. i rock my straps tight and sometimes the toe buckles want to stick, but they get better as they "break in." i've never had any actual issues with them, but some people are anal about little things like that and hate them.

they're not actually stating there will be a pro model next year. knowing the house, it's just them speculating and writing something for their little blog post. but for all i know there definitely could be a t-rice binder next year. i guess we will find out in january.

sticky ratchet complaints are common. i find it easy if you kind of slap it open quick and hard, instead of grabbing it, lifting up, and trying to release it. i rock my straps tight and sometimes the toe buckles want to stick, but they get better as they "break in." i've never had any actual issues with them, but some people are anal about little things like that and hate them.

I'm having some trouble grabbing hold of the toe buckle with my bare hands.. I can't imagine how hard it will be if I had gloves on.

Thanks for the responses, thought there would be more people who would respond though. =\

I was playing with some older Datas and newer SL and noticed it's the same for both, in my experience. The toe buckle sticks a bit compared to the ankle strap buckle, but no issues grabbing them from the bottom and just pulling them off with my gloves on. The Datas have 50-70 days. The SL <10days.

l have to say yes. i ddin't realize about the ideal # of teeth. l never thought that was the cause. didnt realize the 2 position of your toe strap is for different purposes. l thought it was simply a fit and sizing issue

l have to say yes. i ddin't realize about the ideal # of teeth. l never thought that was the cause. didnt realize the 2 position of your toe strap is for different purposes. l thought it was simply a fit and sizing issue

Same here! I had mine all the way to the front even though I was using it as a frontal toe cap. I moved mine back one slot and realized it's now able to rotate farther forward!

Is there a performance difference with rotating the highbacks vs. not rotating them? The very first binding setup video I saw told me to rotate them to be flush to the heel edge and I've done it ever since. Some of my friends say they don't bother. Is it really just a preference? Or are there benefits to one vs. the other lets say in the park vs. freeriding?

the point is for maximizing response and comfort. union says you don't need to rotate because the highbacks flex torsionally (twisting), but calf bite isn't really the reason you rotate in the first place.

un-rotated, when you lean back into a heelside turn and press into the highbacks, you're doing so at an angle, where the highbacks flex more, so you are losing response. when you rotate so they're parallel, you are pressing straight back into them, where they are more supportive/stiffer. it can help with calf bite too, although like i said, that's not the main reason.

According to the video, he says it doesn't matter if you rotate the highbacks because now it's tapered. The alignment to the heel edge is to give you "better" response when u r carving on the heel side, as well as preference for lateral flexing. Feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.

Didn't know that if u didn't have the 3-4 teeth thing it would cause pinching or pressure points to be pressed. but I knew that the buckle should be closer to the end of your ladders and not bottomed out. great vid, good to catch up and check up my settings before going out this season.

Still a little hesitant with the toe buckle, I'd have to really check that out again.

Still a little hesitant with the toe buckle, I'd have to really check that out again.

My Atlas's last year started out not letting go worth a hoot. Espessially by Left (forward) binding... then, all of the sudden, they started popping right on cue. I think they just take some break in period. My ankle straps have always released right on command as well.

According to the video, he says it doesn't matter if you rotate the highbacks because now it's tapered. The alignment to the heel edge is to give you "better" response when u r carving on the heel side, as well as preference for lateral flexing. Feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.

Didn't know that if u didn't have the 3-4 teeth thing it would cause pinching or pressure points to be pressed. but I knew that the buckle should be closer to the end of your ladders and not bottomed out. great vid, good to catch up and check up my settings before going out this season.

Still a little hesitant with the toe buckle, I'd have to really check that out again.

The toe buckle is my one and only issue with my Union bindings. I've demoed & riden a few different Union's and there is always an issue with the release of the toe strap buckle. Doesn't appear to be that big of an issue to resolve but Union does not use quality easy release buckles on their bindings which is a shame because the rest of their bindings are great.

Spens, did they change anything from this years forces and last years. (11/12-12/13). I was trying on a pair of Burton Rulers in size 10 and they seemed super tight in the shop's 12/13s. I went home maxed out my binding straps and heelcup and I'd be baffled if they didn't work. It looks they would definitely work. Did they adjust the ladder size or something?

The toe buckle is my one and only issue with my Union bindings. I've demoed & riden a few different Union's and there is always an issue with the release of the toe strap buckle. Doesn't appear to be that big of an issue to resolve but Union does not use quality easy release buckles on their bindings which is a shame because the rest of their bindings are great.

Thanks for your input everyone seems to be having little to no issues with it, thought I was being paranoid. I'm surprised that you say that the buckles are crappy.. they tout how their buckles are whatever injected to keep it strong yet light.. You aren't the only one too.. plus I know that they've had issues with their springs. Thought the would have resolved this issue and if it were burton, they would have replacements. Union will probably ask you to buy it. This is where they fall short.

the only difference between 2012 and 2013 forces is the ankle strap, to my knowledge. last year's was their older direct connect system where the strip of plastic runs straight through the center of the strap, and this year's have the new core (cored out oval, better pressure distribution). they're not asym like the ones on the atlas or contact pro, but it's essentially the same strap.

a size 10 burton shrinkage boot should fit in a M/L no problem so there must be some other reason it doesn't seem to work as well as you'd expect.

Guys, just wanted your opinions, Force SL, would you say this is too stiff to take into the park with a Stunt? Do you guys have any other suggestions?

I currently have Ride Beta MVMNT on my Stunt and I don't find the flex an issue when I go in the park.

When I tried Salomon Chief bindings on my Stunt, that was WAY too stiff for the park. Too stuff in general actually. Even my Burton C60 were more comfortable. I wouldn't want that to happen again with the Force SL.

Any other recommendations? Rome S90? Cartel? (I don't think the coupon will work on the Cartel though)

SLs are really not that stiff. With the regular stage 3 base, they may actually be a hair less responsive than the force just like the atlas. In the past their highback was actually softer than the force as well, but I haven't been able to check out the new ones in person yet. Either way, they're nothing like c60s. I had a pair of 2009 ride betas for a little bit as well and those are stiffer by a little. I feel like ride's bindings run stiffer in general, based on what they say about their intended use.

The point of the SL is basically to be for a force rider who wants something that's higher tech and significantly lighter. The charger is the stiff binding in the line.

well I'd choose the SL just because I prefer unions, and I'm not too into rome binders, although they are definitely one of the top companies out there. It depends what you want in a binding I guess. The SL should be a little more responsive and noticeably lighter, and a bit higher end, but that's not to say there's anything wrong with the S90.

well I'd choose the SL just because I prefer unions, and I'm not too into rome binders, although they are definitely one of the top companies out there. It depends what you want in a binding I guess. The SL should be a little more responsive and noticeably lighter, and a bit higher end, but that's not to say there's anything wrong with the S90.

Alright, I feel MUCH more confident about the SL now, thank you so much for the input, Spenser!

well I'd choose the SL just because I prefer unions, and I'm not too into rome binders, although they are definitely one of the top companies out there. It depends what you want in a binding I guess. The SL should be a little more responsive and noticeably lighter, and a bit higher end, but that's not to say there's anything wrong with the S90.

Alright, I feel MUCH more confident about the SL now, thank you so much for the input, Spenser!

well I'd choose the SL just because I prefer unions, and I'm not too into rome binders, although they are definitely one of the top companies out there. It depends what you want in a binding I guess. The SL should be a little more responsive and noticeably lighter, and a bit higher end, but that's not to say there's anything wrong with the S90.

Alright, I feel MUCH more confident about the SL now, thank you so much for the input, Spenser!

Plus, they look a lot cooler in my opinion haha.

I totally agree, I like the funky colourway... I was hoping Union would come out with another all yellow Force... they had it in the past, but they took that colour out for some reason. Not a high seller I guess?

Cyan's look really good on the 151 Reverse Crew... my choice in the current line-up would probably be green or magenta, they stand out the most. The green would clash with my Stunt though, so probably the magenta.

What am I saying, I'm going SL, that'd be funky! I wish the two colours were flipped though, they'd pop more!

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